Second Chances Chapter Fifteen
A Look in the Mirror
Two weeks John’s going to stay with me. I’ve got two week to convince him he’s the one I want.
Dr. Pradipta had left, with John following right after, leaving Harold alone to think, but not for long. Ten minutes later one of his nurses brought in some printed out instructions outlining continued care for the enucleation of his left eye. Harold barely listened to what she was saying his thought plagued by the situation with John.
I’ve got to find out why he wants me to take up with this Hendricks woman, why he is pushing me towards her and away from him. I can see how it hurts him to do this.
The sound of the door clicking shut snapped him from his preoccupation over his dilemma. Harold was alone once more holding a folder with the hospital's logo on the front in his hand. It contained more than the set of aftercare instructions, but his one good eye still wasn’t up to reading on its own and Harold gave up tossing the folder onto the rolling table next to his bed. John can read them for me….
What happened between us? Maybe the ‘Harold’ before loved this Grace, was oblivious or ignored how John felt about him, but I’m not that man anymore. I know what I feel now. When I looked up at him that first time, I didn’t know who John Richards was, but my heart remembered. Yes I love John and it seems so right.
A knock at his door and a woman asking to come in broke into his musings this time. “I’m Cassandra Mitchell; I work in the hospital’s prosthetics department. Mind if I speak with you?” She was actually in charge and was going through all his options about having a prosthetic eye made when the eye socket had healed enough from the enucleation. The photos in the brochure she handed him shocked him.
“Oh dear God … is ... is that how I look? Harold shoved the photos away from him and turning his head away… “Please I can’t talk about this right now.”
Ms. Mitchell patted his arm apologetically, “I’m sorry. I’ll speak with you again when you are more ready. Let me leave this with you.” She placed a box on the stand next to him and quietly left the room.
Harold limped into the bathroom not bothering to call his nurse. Looking into the mirror, he pulled off the gauze taped over his left eye. His stomach lurched at the sight. The eye lids were drooping, still a purplish green-black color, but not enough to cover the angry red mass of tissue behind them. The rest of his face was a mass of faded bruising and suture lines.
No wonder Hendricks had flinched. But not his John, not even while he stood watching as the doctor examined the eye that last time. John didn’t turn away, only moved back towards the bed, no pity or revulsion in those blue eyes only concern for the person John loved.
Back in bed once again Harold opened the box left on his table. Inside was a black eye patch made of a soft plastic meant for wearing temporarily over a healing eye. Slipping it down over his fore head, Harold adjusted the patch, then sat back waiting on John. His distress from earlier replaced once more with anxiety on what to do.
Two weeks, I have two weeks, to get John to admit he loves me. I know he does….
~~~~~~~~~
For the first few days both men took it easy. John was still nursing his healing ribs and Harold would gingerly limp around for short distances getting used to his lack of depth perception now and limited mobility.
John cooked them light meals, conversed with Harold about their fake lives as investigators, coming up with more and more lies, about him, about Grace, knowing full well Harold was listening but doubting every word of them.
John would go the guest room at night, undress, then stretch out on the bed there and think about Harold in the next room, and how much he wanted to be in there with him. Oh how his body ached for him, remembering their only time together, bodies close, their hands wrapped around their cocks together. John would masturbate himself to completion, calling out for Harold, and then fall into a restless sleep.
Harold ate those meals, while listening to the more of the charade about how much he loved Grace, not doubting that at one time he had, but knowing in his heart, somewhere along the way John had taken her place. Harold retired to his room, having taken the picture of Grace from the nightstand and placed it in the drawer; he too would undress and get into bed and think of John. In the quiet of the night he heard John call his name,
Oh John, why are you doing this to us?
A week after Harold was released, Grace finally stopped by, to see how Harold was, and maybe take him out for a few hours. Harold hadn’t missed the flash of relief on her face as she looked at his when he opened the door. Maybe Grace was relieved John wasn’t the one who had and maybe it a terrible thing to assume, but Harold believed it had more to do with how much his injuries had healed in a week.
Harold allowed her to brush past him and after she’d descended the small landing she smiled back up at him, “If you’re up to it, I was thinking we can go my house, then walk to where we first met. We can go to the little bistro we first went to for coffee and talked about Italy.”
Harold was already dressed in a dark blue polo shirt and black slacks; he didn’t like wearing the suits, of which there were many, which seemed to mystify John. It would do him good to get out, get some air even if it was with Grace.
He asked if John wanted to come along, even though he could tell Grace wanted him alone, well as alone as they could be in public places. John declined of course with an “I need to go check on my dog. He’s been with a friend since…since the accident.”
“You have a dog? Bring him here John, I am sure he misses you and I think I like dogs.”
‘What can it hurt, Bear can’t talk and I know he misses Harold’
John agreed, “I think he misses you too Harold; I’ll bring him here if you are sure.”
The three parted company in front of the complex, Harold with Grace in the waiting cab as John watched them go. It was hard for Reese to see the two leave together. Strolling down memory lane with Grace probably wouldn’t cause Harold’s memories to come flooding back, but what if by spending time with the lovely woman, Harold found he wanted to be with her instead? That’s what he needs, right? But what about you, he needs you too, he told you so, warred the thoughts in Reese’s head.
John drove off in the rental car headed for Leon’s to get Bear. John tried to silence his hopes nothing would happen between Harold and Grace. The two of them being together was the right thing for Harold.
Wasn't it?
~*~
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen